With those words at exactly 10:21 a.m. Monday, spectators at the Griffith Observatory erupted into a loud cheer. As the echo reverberated down the mountain, the bright, sunny sky suddenly turned murky, as if someone had activated a giant Instagram filter over the City of Angels.

On the front lawn of the observatory, several thousand people lifted their heads toward the sky, almost all sporting protective cardboard or plastic solar glasses. A few do-it-yourselfers attempted to catch the eclipse with homemade projectors jerry-built from cereal boxes or shoe boxes with varying degrees of success.

Today’s phenomenon was the first total solar eclipse to sweep across the United States from coast to coast in nearly a century. Even though Los Angeles saw only a 62 percent partial eclipse, which didn’t completely darken the sky, that didn’t prevent protective glasses from becoming a hot commodity. Local retailers reportedly sold out early at 7-Eleven, REI, Walmart and Toys R Us. Some libraries and schools also passed out solar shades, but that still left many Angelenos on a futile scavenger hunt.

“I went to about 20 stores over the weekend, looking for the glasses,” said Abiy Yacow, 38, from downtown Los Angeles. “This morning, we parked at the Greek Theater, and then we walked up at 5 a.m. It was completely dark. Coyotes were out and everything.”

Ten-year-old Gysi Amen spent time at the complimentary craft table, where he fashioned a primitive solar viewer out of aluminum foil and a sheet of paper, just in case his parents weren’t able to score glasses at the observatory’s gift shop.

“This was my dad’s idea,” he said. “It’s OK for me to skip school because it’s the eclipse.”

Collin O’Mara-Green understood the excitement, as a staff astronomer with the Griffith Observatory for 11 years.

“This doesn’t happen every day,” he said. “When the moon moves in front of the sun, it really piques people’s imagination. They want to know how we fit into the universe.”

So did a lot of students, from L.A. to the Inland Empire.

Some, such as those in the Los Angeles Unified School District, designed their own experiments, including using the light meter on their cellphones to measure changes in light levels during the eclipse.

Three dozen students in an L.A. data science class tracked changes in the ambient temperature. The information will be submitted to NASA’s Citizens Data Project.

Back at the observatory, eclipse watchers set up blankets and beach chairs on the expansive lawn, sharing solar shades and snacks. Chris Webster and Tamara Todorovich, a millennial couple from Long Beach, brought two bottles of champagne to toast the eclipse, as well as their engagement.

The festival-like atmosphere prompted a couple of folks to compare it to Coachella, the music and arts event that’s turned the Palm Springs area into a mecca for young people each spring.

“Solarchella? I like that. It has a nice ring to it,” said O’Mara-Green.

At 11:44 a.m., the moon moved away from the sun, and the eclipse was but a memory, except for the bottleneck of cars slowly inching their way down the hill. Or as Chinese folklore would have it, the dragon stopped eating the sun.

O’Mara-Green said astronomy buffs will need to wait until 2023 and 2024 to see partial solar eclipses in Southern California again, longer for a total eclipse.

“I think the next total eclipse here in L.A. is not until somewhere in the 2090s,” he said.

In the meantime, there’s money to be made for young entrepreneurs such as 10-year-old Ivan Burgara of Mission Hills.

“This couple wanted some solar glasses, so I sold them mine for $20,” he said, brandishing a crisp green bill. “They were on a date, I think, so the boyfriend got a pair for them to share.”

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